Fences have been used for many years as freestanding structures for providing privacy, marking territorial boundaries and/or to restrict or prevent movement onto or off of property areas. Fences have also been used for enhancing the appearance of a property. A common form of fencing utilizes a system of vertical posts connected by horizontal rails to which pickets, slats, panels or chain links are attached. Generally, these components are attached to one another with fasteners such as nails, screws, or nuts and bolts.
The vertical fence posts and the horizontal railings used in constructing fences have typically been made of wood. However, the traditional wood construction has become less desirable for several reasons. A primary drawback is that the overall cost of maintaining a wooden fence system is relatively high due to the escalation in the cost of lumber materials in recent years and the fact that wood fences require constant maintenance such as painting or staining, and further require maintenance to prevent rot. This is particularly true when wooden posts supporting a fence are anchored in the ground. If the posts fail due to rot, the entire fence is rendered useless. Although anchoring the posts in concrete can postpone these effects, it does not eliminate them.
As an alternative to the wood fencing systems, it has recently become more prevalent to use either vinyl or plastic products for constructing fences for yards or decks, and for railings on deck staircases. Vinyl fencing is aesthetically pleasing and easy to maintain. However, they are susceptible to structural weakness and fatigue over time. For this reason, reinforcement means are typically used to add structural integrity and stability to the fence.
The reinforcement means can be in the form of an appropriately shaped metal insert extending throughout the interior length of the fence rail, and/or a post such as a tubular metal post, which resides within the hollow vinyl fence post. A post can be securely anchored to the base substrate or ground. The fence components including the railings are typically assembled and attached to the reinforced vinyl fence post.
Although this reinforced construction provides good strength to the fence, the fence post remains a weak point in the structure. In addition to the stress of the normal fence load, the vinyl fence post experiences strain induced by thermal expansion and contraction during temperature changes and conditions that can cause undesirable warping and bending. This warping and bending can be detrimental to the structural integrity and appearance of the overall fence.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fence assembly that utilizes a post mount guide for securely and effectively mounting a fence to a post mount to provide greater durability, strength and stability, while greatly minimizing or eliminating the occurrence of undesirable warping or bending. There is a further need for a post mount guide that is simple to install, and readily adjustable for accommodating a range of fence styles and configurations. There is a further need for a post mount guide for substantially reducing the cost and labor typically associated with fence installation and subsequent maintenance, and that can readily be implemented with standard tools and fasteners.